The Preface
Summary
• The novel starts with a short preface or introduction which states the author’s subject and
aims. The author argues that Art has no purpose and all beauty is useless. It contains a series
of epigrams (a short sentence that expresses an idea in a clever or amusing way). We read
that the story which will follow is a work of art.
• The Preface is a series of epigrams, or concise, witty sayings, that express the major points of
Oscar Wilde’s aesthetic philosophy. In short, the epigrams praise beauty and repudiate the notion
that art serves a moral purpose. The Preface to The Picture of Dorian Gray is a collection of
epigrams that aptly sums up the philosophical tenets of the artistic and philosophical movement
known as aestheticism.
• Aestheticism, which found its footing in Europe in the early nineteenth century, proposed that art
need not serve moral, political, or otherwise didactic ends.
• Whereas the romantic movement of the early and mid-nineteenth century viewed art as a product
of the human creative impulse that could be used to learn more about humankind and the world,
the aesthetic movement denied that art must necessarily be an instructive force in order to be
valuable. Instead, the aestheticists’ believed, art should be valuable in and of itself—art for art’s
sake.
• As a work that sets forth a philosophy of aestheticism, the novel questions the degree and kind of
influence a work of art can have over an individual. Furthermore, since the novel conceives of art
as including a well-lived life, it is also interested in the kind of influence one person can have over
another. The artful Lord Henry himself has as profound an effect upon Dorian’s life as Basil’s
painting does.
,English The picture of Dorian Gray
Chapter 1
Summary
▪ The Picture of Dorian Gray opens in the London studio of Basil Hallward, an artist. Lord Henry
Wotton a scandalous and amoral friend (“Harry”) is visiting him. Basil is finishing a full-length
painting (portrait) of a “young man of extraordinary personal beauty”. The subject of which is
a gorgeous, golden-haired young man. Lord Henry says that the painting is Basil’s best work
ever and encourages him to display it at an art gallery. However, Basil says that he has put too
much of himself into the painting to show it. The picture is so beautiful that the artist loves it
as he also loves Dorian, the young man in the painting. Lord Henry does not understand and
thinks that Basil is being vain and ridiculous. He says that Basil is just the artist and it is the
young man in the painting that provides the beauty.
▪ Basil reveals that he met Dorian Gray at a cocktail party at Lady Brandon’s home but that he
wants to keep him a secret. He thinks secrecy provides a kind of romance in his life. This
should be a chance for confession and death however, this opportunity is missed. Lord
Henry’s view of secrecy is shallow and comical. Basil belives that an artist must go into society
occasionally to show he is not savage. Lord Henry asks Basil again why he does not want to
exhibit the painting. Basil responds that any painting painted with true feeling shows more of
the artist than it does the subject. He is worried that the painting will reveal his soul. Lord
Henry is very keen to meet Dorian, but Basil resists. At that moment, Basil’s butler announces
Dorian’s arrival. Basil becomes very serious and says: “He has a simple and beautiful nature.
Don’t spoil him. Don’t try to influence him. Your influence would be bad.” (page 19).
▪ When Basil speaks about their meeting Henry mentions that laughter is a good basis for
friendship, but Basil teases that Henry knows nothing about friendship. Henry disagrees, he
chooses his friends carefully for their good looks. He insists though that Basil is like a brother
to him, although he seems to hate his relatives. He mocks his relatives for having all the
typical vices of the upper class. Basil accuses him of always saying things he doesn’t even
believe himself.
▪ He admits that, upon seeing Dorian for the first time, he was terrified; indeed, he was
overcome by the feeling that his life was “on the verge of a terrible crisis.” Dorian has
become, however, an object of fascination and obsession for Basil, who sees the young man
every day and declares him to be his sole inspiration. Basil felt inexplicably that he was
heading for some terrible fate and tried to escape the scene but was called back by the
hostess, Lady Brandon.
▪ His vision of Dorian Gray is at once superficial, based on one glance but also deep beyond
reason. The speed of Basil’s attachment to Dorian shows how much it is based on
appearance. The importance of precendence of appearnce is a trait of the entire priviligied
society to which Basil and Henry belong, comprising gentlemen, ladies and artists, all of whom
seem to base their judgements almost entriely in appearance and reputations.
▪ Lord Henry, astonished by this declaration, remembers where he heard the name Dorian Gray
before: His aunt, Lady Agatha, mentioned that the young man promised to help her with
charity work in the slums of London.
,▪ In the first chapter we meet two of the major characters in the novel. We learn that the
successful and talented artist, Basil, is very secretive and has even disappeared in the past
without anyone knowing where he is. Basil is almost overwhelmed by his first meeting with
Dorian Gray. Dorian becomes his muse (source of inspiration for an artist). Basil’s attraction to
Dorian appears to be both professional and personal. Basil is a jealous person too as he wants
Dorian all to himself and does not want Lord Henry to take him away. Lord Henry is very
confident, very rich and very cynical. His influence is not always positive. He is judgmental and
likes to say profound (deep/philosophical) things. While he is speaking to Basil, he picks a
daisy and looks at it. Later he pulls it apart. This shows his role in the novel as a manipulator
and destroyer of beauty for his own amusement.
▪ As the reader we do not meet the title character in the first chapter but are introduced to the
picture. Instead Dorian's portrait does, along with Basil (the artist) and Henry (the
critic/commentator). This is known as foreshadowing (to hint at something that will happen in
the future). It seems that Dorian’s beauty is the most important thing about him. Chapter 1
also introduces some of the major themes of the novel: The theme of appearance versus
reality is set up as Henry sees Basil's representation of Dorian before he sees him in real life.
His later comments on the relationship between appearance and reality set Dorian's
character and the novel's plot in motion. Chapter 1 also establishes the tension between art
and life that is found throughout the novel. This tension can be seen as early as the second
paragraph, when Henry sees bird shadows and is reminded of Japanese paintings. It is made
more explicit later in the chapter, when Basil speaks of what Dorian has shown him about art:
"But in some curious way—I wonder will you understand me?—his personality has suggested
to me an entirely new manner in art, an entirely new mode of style. I see things differently, I
think of them differently."
▪ The picture we have of Dorian Gray is blown up out of all proportion by these two characters.
To Henry, Dorian is a symbol of beauty, a collection of colors and lines, just like Basil’s
painting. To Basil, Dorian represents something bigger than art, something inexplicable. The
collision of these two exaggerations puts Dorian into a difficult position, having to live up to
an impossible ideal.
, Points to note
Chapter 1
• This chapter seems to serve a function of setting up many of the key themes before the core crux
of the story begins.
• If this chapter did not exist and we began by meeting Dorian straight away, we would lose two
things.
• We would not get to see Basil’s perceptions of Dorian and build him up to be a magnificent
character.
• We would not have an outline of many of the core themes before the action of the story begins,
that Henry, largely, introduces into the story.
Summary
• The novel starts with a short preface or introduction which states the author’s subject and
aims. The author argues that Art has no purpose and all beauty is useless. It contains a series
of epigrams (a short sentence that expresses an idea in a clever or amusing way). We read
that the story which will follow is a work of art.
• The Preface is a series of epigrams, or concise, witty sayings, that express the major points of
Oscar Wilde’s aesthetic philosophy. In short, the epigrams praise beauty and repudiate the notion
that art serves a moral purpose. The Preface to The Picture of Dorian Gray is a collection of
epigrams that aptly sums up the philosophical tenets of the artistic and philosophical movement
known as aestheticism.
• Aestheticism, which found its footing in Europe in the early nineteenth century, proposed that art
need not serve moral, political, or otherwise didactic ends.
• Whereas the romantic movement of the early and mid-nineteenth century viewed art as a product
of the human creative impulse that could be used to learn more about humankind and the world,
the aesthetic movement denied that art must necessarily be an instructive force in order to be
valuable. Instead, the aestheticists’ believed, art should be valuable in and of itself—art for art’s
sake.
• As a work that sets forth a philosophy of aestheticism, the novel questions the degree and kind of
influence a work of art can have over an individual. Furthermore, since the novel conceives of art
as including a well-lived life, it is also interested in the kind of influence one person can have over
another. The artful Lord Henry himself has as profound an effect upon Dorian’s life as Basil’s
painting does.
,English The picture of Dorian Gray
Chapter 1
Summary
▪ The Picture of Dorian Gray opens in the London studio of Basil Hallward, an artist. Lord Henry
Wotton a scandalous and amoral friend (“Harry”) is visiting him. Basil is finishing a full-length
painting (portrait) of a “young man of extraordinary personal beauty”. The subject of which is
a gorgeous, golden-haired young man. Lord Henry says that the painting is Basil’s best work
ever and encourages him to display it at an art gallery. However, Basil says that he has put too
much of himself into the painting to show it. The picture is so beautiful that the artist loves it
as he also loves Dorian, the young man in the painting. Lord Henry does not understand and
thinks that Basil is being vain and ridiculous. He says that Basil is just the artist and it is the
young man in the painting that provides the beauty.
▪ Basil reveals that he met Dorian Gray at a cocktail party at Lady Brandon’s home but that he
wants to keep him a secret. He thinks secrecy provides a kind of romance in his life. This
should be a chance for confession and death however, this opportunity is missed. Lord
Henry’s view of secrecy is shallow and comical. Basil belives that an artist must go into society
occasionally to show he is not savage. Lord Henry asks Basil again why he does not want to
exhibit the painting. Basil responds that any painting painted with true feeling shows more of
the artist than it does the subject. He is worried that the painting will reveal his soul. Lord
Henry is very keen to meet Dorian, but Basil resists. At that moment, Basil’s butler announces
Dorian’s arrival. Basil becomes very serious and says: “He has a simple and beautiful nature.
Don’t spoil him. Don’t try to influence him. Your influence would be bad.” (page 19).
▪ When Basil speaks about their meeting Henry mentions that laughter is a good basis for
friendship, but Basil teases that Henry knows nothing about friendship. Henry disagrees, he
chooses his friends carefully for their good looks. He insists though that Basil is like a brother
to him, although he seems to hate his relatives. He mocks his relatives for having all the
typical vices of the upper class. Basil accuses him of always saying things he doesn’t even
believe himself.
▪ He admits that, upon seeing Dorian for the first time, he was terrified; indeed, he was
overcome by the feeling that his life was “on the verge of a terrible crisis.” Dorian has
become, however, an object of fascination and obsession for Basil, who sees the young man
every day and declares him to be his sole inspiration. Basil felt inexplicably that he was
heading for some terrible fate and tried to escape the scene but was called back by the
hostess, Lady Brandon.
▪ His vision of Dorian Gray is at once superficial, based on one glance but also deep beyond
reason. The speed of Basil’s attachment to Dorian shows how much it is based on
appearance. The importance of precendence of appearnce is a trait of the entire priviligied
society to which Basil and Henry belong, comprising gentlemen, ladies and artists, all of whom
seem to base their judgements almost entriely in appearance and reputations.
▪ Lord Henry, astonished by this declaration, remembers where he heard the name Dorian Gray
before: His aunt, Lady Agatha, mentioned that the young man promised to help her with
charity work in the slums of London.
,▪ In the first chapter we meet two of the major characters in the novel. We learn that the
successful and talented artist, Basil, is very secretive and has even disappeared in the past
without anyone knowing where he is. Basil is almost overwhelmed by his first meeting with
Dorian Gray. Dorian becomes his muse (source of inspiration for an artist). Basil’s attraction to
Dorian appears to be both professional and personal. Basil is a jealous person too as he wants
Dorian all to himself and does not want Lord Henry to take him away. Lord Henry is very
confident, very rich and very cynical. His influence is not always positive. He is judgmental and
likes to say profound (deep/philosophical) things. While he is speaking to Basil, he picks a
daisy and looks at it. Later he pulls it apart. This shows his role in the novel as a manipulator
and destroyer of beauty for his own amusement.
▪ As the reader we do not meet the title character in the first chapter but are introduced to the
picture. Instead Dorian's portrait does, along with Basil (the artist) and Henry (the
critic/commentator). This is known as foreshadowing (to hint at something that will happen in
the future). It seems that Dorian’s beauty is the most important thing about him. Chapter 1
also introduces some of the major themes of the novel: The theme of appearance versus
reality is set up as Henry sees Basil's representation of Dorian before he sees him in real life.
His later comments on the relationship between appearance and reality set Dorian's
character and the novel's plot in motion. Chapter 1 also establishes the tension between art
and life that is found throughout the novel. This tension can be seen as early as the second
paragraph, when Henry sees bird shadows and is reminded of Japanese paintings. It is made
more explicit later in the chapter, when Basil speaks of what Dorian has shown him about art:
"But in some curious way—I wonder will you understand me?—his personality has suggested
to me an entirely new manner in art, an entirely new mode of style. I see things differently, I
think of them differently."
▪ The picture we have of Dorian Gray is blown up out of all proportion by these two characters.
To Henry, Dorian is a symbol of beauty, a collection of colors and lines, just like Basil’s
painting. To Basil, Dorian represents something bigger than art, something inexplicable. The
collision of these two exaggerations puts Dorian into a difficult position, having to live up to
an impossible ideal.
, Points to note
Chapter 1
• This chapter seems to serve a function of setting up many of the key themes before the core crux
of the story begins.
• If this chapter did not exist and we began by meeting Dorian straight away, we would lose two
things.
• We would not get to see Basil’s perceptions of Dorian and build him up to be a magnificent
character.
• We would not have an outline of many of the core themes before the action of the story begins,
that Henry, largely, introduces into the story.
